Kimazae from South Korea has lived and worked in Vietnam since the 2024 Tet after spending 20 years in Thailand. He has tried many local dishes in the last few months.

He noted that Da Nang is a livable city as the living expenses are reasonable and there are many delicious food items like pho, which is his favorite. He once ate pho for two consecutive days and tried four versions.

“I only ordered pho for two days. There are different versions, but I only ate it at famous restaurants,” he said.

On the first day, Kimazae tried pho at two branches of the same famous pho brand in Da Nang. At the branch on Ho Nghinh street in Son Tra district, he ordered pho with tripe and Korean flavor.

The menu showed that this pho offered a new experience to diners, the perfect combination of the culinary cultures of Vietnam and South Korea.

He said the broth was thick and spicy, and the tripe carefully treated so it had no fishy smell. “It was spicy even without seasoning. The pho noodles were soft, plump but a bit fatty,” he added.

The pho was more expensive than ar other restaurants, priced at VND80,000-120,000. However, he said the price was worth it as it was tasty and had a lot of beef.

After that, he visited the other branch of the same brand on Pasteur street in Hai Chau district. He ordered spicy pho with ribs, a dish favored by many South Korean diners, priced at VND149,000. 

On the second day, he chose a famous restaurant on Ly Tu Trong street for lunch. He ordered pho with underdone beef, VND55,000, and Vietnamese fried spring rolls with shrimp, VND230,000.

“The broth tasted a bit flat, so I had to add some seasoning. However, I still recommend this pho to those who visit Da Nang,” he said.

At the end of the day, he went to a pho restaurant on Ngo Quyen street to have dinner. A bowl of pho was served for only VND45,000.

“The broth was just the same as the one I tried at lunch. However, diners here use more sawleaf herb,” he noted.

Thao Trinh